


spring days

by sanguinedawns



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Post-War, blood mention, brief mentions of uchiha lore, like once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25435741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanguinedawns/pseuds/sanguinedawns
Summary: Naruto rolls his eyes, knocking his shoulder into Sasuke’s sternum, “You manage fine on days without me.”Sasuke purposely says next, “You hardly know my woes.”“What now?”
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 45
Kudos: 224





	spring days

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to write canon and this is a bit boring and a bit pointless. but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> heavily inspired by the ghibli movie whisper of the heart. 90% of the oc's are lifted right from the movie itself. 
> 
> happy birthday to the best anime boy there is. love you sasuke.

Under the awning of the lamppost, the bell made a tinny sound, ringing once, twice, before the window to the second floor slid open. There is a lofty spring breeze dancing through the treetops, the fronds waving due to their effect, and cajoling them out of a warm sleepy stupor.

Naruto pokes his head out, there is a potted plant on the outside of the barricaded windowsill, thriving beneath the abundant sunlight, “What took you so long?”

Sasuke rings the bell again, one foot on the pedal of the bike, in an answer.

Naruto throws his hands up in exasperation circling back inside even if his voice boomed out of the now open window.

“I’ve been waiting all morning, y’know, I promised Mrs. Harada we’ll do her deliveries by noon and guess what time it is—”

In an incessant manner, Sasuke flicks the tab of the bell again. Naruto peeks out, shirt stuck around his chin, “You’ll disturb the neighbors! I’m coming I’m coming!”

Even his steps are full of sound, clap, clap, clap. The sole of Naruto’s shoes hit the concrete steps as he quickly climbs down the stairs, Sasuke adjusts himself on the seat of the bike, puts his foot down on the ground to hold the vehicle upright.

Naruto’s hitate is hanging loosely around his neck, hair still wet from a shower, “Can you move?”

Sasuke rolls his eyes before retracting his hand from the handlebar, Naruto turns around and walks backward, sits on his bottom over the crossbar.

Sasuke reaches forward to clasp around the rubber compressing the handle, Naruto faces him with a blinding grin, “I’m ready.”

“Finally,” Sasuke mutters under his breath which receives him a sharp elbow to his stomach. Wincing through the pain he lets Naruto hold the other handlebar as he begins pedaling, “Where to?”

“Mrs. Harada, first,” Naruto lifts his bandaged hand to countdown the names, “Amasawa next, gotta pick Suigetsu up from the fish market—why is he working there again when he doesn’t even eat fish?”

Sasuke makes a noise from the back of his throat, a dismissive kind. They cycle down a slope, his chest pulling downwards into Naruto’s back, it’s not too hot so the closeness isn’t uncomfortable.

“I’ve long stopped trying to understand that man.”

Naruto’s laugh reverberates in Sasuke’s chest. Unlike the bell on his bike, this is pleasant, not sharp, but full and raspy. A few years ago, he didn’t notice things like these. He had other things on mind then and while they were important recently, he’s begun to realize this too is important.

Naruto tuts, click of his tongue, hand turning the handle to maneuver the front wheel to take a turn. Sasuke follows the movement by putting pressure on his palm.

“He’s your friend you should know this about him.”

They descend into a smaller alley towards the main market, distantly he can see the lights strung atop the buildings across the electrical poles.

“Because he’s my friend I’m meant to pry all his thoughts and decisions?”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” he quickly waves at an _obasan_ sweeping outside her house, “It’s good to know things, important things about people you care about.”

Naruto flits back, eyes darting to meet his, it’s inconvenient because they’re the same height and Naruto’s supposed to be watching the road _for_ him, but he’s smiling with all his teeth. For someone with awful eating habits all throughout childhood, due to obvious reasons, Naruto’s got a perfect set. White, pearly, not crooked in the slightest. A tiny perfection.

“Besides you are quick to want to know everything about me, aren’t you?”

Sasuke nudges his head forward by the tip of his nose, “Eyes forward, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto huffs, “Don’t you though?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because you’re Naruto and I’m Sasuke.”

Naruto tries to crane his neck back, suspiciously confused. Sasuke blows air into his ear to keep him facing ahead, “You never make any sense.”

Sasuke hums.

Suigetsu is waiting for them with the fresh catch that he’s sieved and cleaned and placed into a plastic bag full of ice chips. He holds it up victoriously and thumps his chest, “Biggest catch of the day, boys.”

Sasuke frowns at the chopped-up fish. Naruto hopes off the crossbar and swings his arm around Suigetsu’s shoulder, “Dinner on Sui!”

“Go weigh it and pay for me would’ya?” Suigetsu shoves the bag in his chest, and signals towards the tarp, plank, wheel setup where a gaggle of people are shelling out coins, and notes, to pay for the fresh catch.

Sasuke watches him weave through the passerby, the fisherman, a few merchants. Suigetsu sidles up to him handing a tightly knitted scroll, “This is from the contact in Takigakure. They were happy with Karin and Jūgo’s help which means those two should be arriving sometime tonight, or early morning tomorrow.”

Sasuke nods briefly skims the contents and tucks it into his pack that’s clipped on his waist. Looking over his friends’ head he sees the propped spears wedged into the ground, the netting that litters the floor.

“Why fishing?”

Suigetsu is taken aback for a fleeting moment. He recovers just as quickly.

“I like the ocean, the sounds, the smell. It’s fun. I could simply step into the water and move towards the school of bass or I could use the large nets and do it how the locals do. It’s a challenge.” He lifts both his hands in the air and wiggles his bandaged, calloused fingers, “Doing something I’m not used in a place I know like the back of my hand.”

“I see,” Sasuke says.

Suigetsu continues, “There are always new things to learn even about the things we already know.”

Sasuke can hear Naruto bargaining the price per pound with the merchant, calling him a swindler brazenly when he refuses to budge, but he stays focused on his white-haired friend, “That could be about people too.”

“It could,” Suigetsu cackles, clapping his shoulders in hurried movements. He pries, waggling his brows, “Trying to learn things about me, hrm?”

“Of course,” Sasuke points at the cut fish, “Today I learned you’ve found a new way to channel your aggression.”

Suigetsu shoves at his shoulder, laugh still clinging to his mouth, “Fuck off!”

**

When the war ended the rest of the future seemed pretty straightforward: peace and prosperity.

Sasuke didn’t live in a world where those two things had existed—at least they hadn’t since he was seven years old. So, the war was simply just another checkpoint. Another event that took place outside the realities of his own horror. Sure, there were threads that connected him to it in its own misguided way, but at the end of the day, it didn’t even fractionally affect his own crooked path. The decision to travel was something he made himself. Something he did for himself outside of the influences, and the ventriloquist act he’d been part of since the massacre. He wanted to see the world. Wanted to understand why people chose to believe even in the face and aftermath of adversity.

He didn’t think the answer would come so easily. Because the world did just suffer through war and even if peace wasn’t a distant dream any longer it still needed a well-built bridge to get there.

Ever since he was young, he had wondered why the Land of Wind was called as such when it was barren desserts and scalding terrains. Why not Land of Sand? Only upon traveling the vast grains of sand had he discovered it was due to the constant arid air that lived below a perpetual breeze. In Wind, the weather was unpleasant, stagnant and his skin suffered the trifling consequences of drying in patches.

There were things to know about places he had never visited and places he had but never got the chance to see properly. Came with it an invaluable experience not merely in the physicality of the topographies, and settlements he stumbled into time after time. But, also, alone on his journey he met several people who had lost loved ones’, others who had completely lost their sense of identity, villages decimated.

Sasuke learned that grief never quite leaves you. Even in the thin gaps of the bones connecting the spine, it held him up and kept him steady, moving forward. Like he’s seen the worst, he’s felt the worst, and here on out whatever comes next, it’ll pale because he’s learned from the worst.

There were others like him who could fare similar grounds.

After a little while Jūgo reached out to him, he asked about how’s he’s been and if he’s looking for company. There were still loose ends he needed to tie off, so he met with Taka again, and even after their accomplished goals it didn’t feel wrong to address them like that.

Taka, hawk, coming from a waif folktale about them being free, fearless. It was supposed to be a meeting of endings. Apologies were due, after all. Two years later he’s still got the other three with him. This time it felt different. They didn’t have an objective or favor to return to each other.

They’re simply together because it made sense when little else has.

Naruto wasn’t part of the plan either. He’s never been. If his life was a rotating wheel, then Naruto’s the center that’s been there from the start. Sasuke can touch the corners of the earth, return to its core, and he’ll still have the center there, unmoving, unrelenting.

There is a disarming charm in being pursued with such fervor. The intensity never quite dims even if it surfaces differently each time. Before it was catty words lobbing at him in aimless measures, distinctly punctured in insults and challenges, after it came the desperate pleas and concern, undeterred belief and faith, and when he decided he’s going to see the world for himself it barreled into him quietly, softly, like an encouraging nudge. One after another it changed to his needs without him voicing those needs.

About six months ago he had a dream. Infrequent, rare, as they were, this dream held an unbidden ache he couldn’t remember existing. He missed someone he could easily reach, and it was his very first time realizing he had the option.

Naruto showed up to Minatochō in the Land of Tea the next day.

“You can’t get a house?”

“They’ve got a list going, and single accommodation is hard to find since the village has got so many unattached shinobi, so I left.”

“You left?”

“Yep,” Naruto seemed sure, “I thought if it’s that hard to find a home I’ll just go see the world. Who better to see it with than you?”

Simple, he said things simply, like life wasn’t complicated and words could solve so much. Naruto is all vestiges of hope, belief, faith, love all taped and glued into one. The morsels he found in the world, the heaps he found in himself, all brought together to put himself together.

Sasuke snaps out of the daze when the blonde picks the cherries from his bowl. Slapping his hand, he narrows his eyes at the empty bowl of pits, “You’ve had yours.”

Naruto pulls a face, Karin plods over to them, bare feet, wedging between the two boys and puts down the hotpot. Jūgo’s wearing an apron and follows after carrying a ladle, “It’s still hot so be careful, Naruto.”

“Why did you single me out like that,” Naruto grumbles, “It happened _once_.”

“Repeatedly,” Sasuke singsongs. Naruto picks up a cherry pit and chucks at him. Suigetsu catches the seed as he ducks and Karin steamrolls onto another subject, “Did you know Seiji is seeing Shizuku?”

Naruto’s brows are furrowed in the same pathetic image as a pug, “No, Shizuku likes Sugimara, you know this.”

Suigetsu breaks the bread and gives his half to Sasuke, “Oh, that’s old news, because Yuko likes Sugimara and since she’s Shizuku’s best friend they won’t act on anything.”

Jūgo genially speaks over the gossip, “You three must be really bored.”

Karin releases an annoyed sound, “Tch.” Sasuke’s eye twitches knowing where she’s picked up the quirk, “We’re simply keeping up with star-crossed lovers, Jūgo. There is no harm in romance.”

“Shizuku and Sugimara,” Naruto clarifies.

Suigetsu shakes his head, “No, Seiji and Shizuku.”

Sasuke spoons the broth and sips at it watching Karin and Suigetsu pick on Naruto, “If this keeps up you won’t be on the winning team.”

“Childhood lovers versus some fancy schmuck visiting town for a month,” Naruto has both his hands in the air weighing the balance of the choices, “Childhood friend wins.”

“That only happens in storybooks,” Karin snidely comments. “In real life, with real people, we choose people we are most compatible with at the given time. You outgrow childhood friends.”

Sasuke chews on the cubed carrot soaked in his bowl, “Not always.”

Naruto immediately smiles, and Suigetsu groans, “You two were built special we get it. I say Sugimara backs off indefinitely.”

Jūgo thoughtfully asks, “That’s not fair to him.”

Naruto throws up his hands, “Thank you!”

The rest of the dinner goes swimmingly. Town gossip, Karin and Jūgo detailing their visit to Village Hidden by a Waterfall, and Suigetsu and Naruto fight over dessert.

They all live in the same building. Two apartments divvied up between them. Jūgo, Sasuke, and Naruto in one and Karin and Suigetsu in the other. Now that arrangement can crop up caution because the redhead and the mist swordsmen fight like cats and dogs, but they also work well in that seamless manner. Sasuke didn’t even have to intervene when they first picked the place for themselves.

Although he’s realized even if the mutual agreement of him being the leader has suspended, his teammates still seek his opinions. The difference is it is as a friend. Naruto on the other hand has never listened to him a single day in his life and he isn’t about to start now.

The bees are flying. They taste the spring.

Sasuke rolls out the comforter, his only hand smoothing out the uneven wrinkles, and Naruto talks to Jūgo about volunteering at the pet clinic tomorrow. He offered Sasuke’s services with much his chagrin, but that’s fine. Sasuke didn’t make plans for tomorrow anyway.

Naruto carries a glass jar filled an inch more than half to the windowsill. He says before Sasuke’s formulated the thought to ask.

“Obasan at the mini-mart said I should stop buying so much green onion and grow some myself,” he bends to clasp his knees, watches the bulbs of green onions floating in the water, “Apparently the roots grow if you leave them in water for some time.”

Sasuke has a vague piddling to remind his friend that their stay at Benisu is temporary, but he’s never known plants to take root after they’ve been pulled out of the soil. Unconsciously the correction on his tongue is curbed to say instead, “Just like that?”

Naruto glances back at him, eyes smiling, “Just like that.”

**

Sasuke has a baby goat slouched onto his stomach, he can’t exactly cradle the infant due to his severe lack of appendages, but this position works too. The doe suckles on the bottle of milk he’s clutching. Tatsuo warmly greets him carrying the grey cat, “Moon’s feeling better. You can take him home whenever you’d like.”

“He’s not mine,” Sasuke explains, “The neighborhood cat more appropriately, but since he’s been sick, I’ve been looking after him.”

“Oh, Chihiro talked about one named Muta is this the same one?”

“Yes,” Sasuke adjusts the goat’s neck a bit so she doesn’t choke on the milk, “Your sister stops by all the time. They get along.”

“I’m glad,” Tatsuo sits on his chair rolling it towards Sasuke, “Jūgo’s checking on the stable horses he should be done soon.”

“What happened to the Shiba Inu did you ever find the owner?”

Tatsuo startles at Sasuke’s nearness, wheeling backward and drumming his fingers on the desk, “Yeah, it was actually a traveling shinobi on leave from Kiri. He came by yesterday.”

Sasuke nods realizing the doe has fallen asleep. Carefully he sets the bottle down on the floor and cradles the newborn in his arm. Tatsuo opens the gate to the playpen where a cushion sits. Sasuke lays the goat gently.

Once he’s standing again, Tatsuo approaches him, “I’ve been meaning to ask.” Sasuke directs his gaze back at him noticing the collar of his shirt being turned inwards, normally he’d point it out, but he’s close enough to fix it so he reaches out and does so. Tatsuo blinks slowly, stepping over his words, “Would you like to get dinner together?”

Sasuke draws his hand, “Sure, I’ll ask Jūgo.”

He moves to turn but Tatsuo is stopping him by a hand on his shoulder, “Actually, I meant, just us.”

Sasuke then understands what he means.

Later they’re seated on a dewy lawn of the park close to their apartment building. Sasuke’s spread out on the ground while Naruto is lazily throwing shuriken stars at the training post. Karin’s reading a book and Jūgo is petting Moon in slow, exaggerated motions. Suigetsu is taking a catnap.

“I went on a date tonight,” Sasuke clearly announces.

Naruto misses the target and hits an unsuspecting bird feeding on the puddle of water. Suigetsu snickers having seen the whole ordeal through the corner of his pinched eyes meanwhile Karin closes her book in rapt fascination, “What?”

“Tatsuo,” Sasuke props up on his elbows, “The vet, he asked me to dinner.”

Jūgo stops the scratching, “Oh, that’s why you stayed back.”

“Mhm.”

Suigetsu rolls onto his side, mouth twitching upwards, “Well? How was it?”

Karin pinches his ankle, “You have no tact.” Warily glances at Naruto who is apologetically frowning at the nearly harmed pigeon.

“Stop staring at me,” Naruto now frowns at them. “He can go on dates.”

“He can?” they speak in unison to Sasuke’s, “I can?”

Naruto’s cheeks are the color of the peonies blossoming on Mrs. Harada’s front lawn, “What!?”

Karin rolls her eyes picking up her book, flattens the dogeared page, and mumbles, “Your drama is far less interesting than Shizuku’s.”

“Because Naruto’s the Sugimara.”

“Does that make Tatsuo the Seiji?”

Almost violently it is Sasuke who rebukes the notion, “Naruto’s Naruto.” Jūgo glances at him, “He’s not some lovelorn idiot.”

Naruto shifts his gaze away, fingers threading through the grass, and Sasuke wishes the others would disappear for a parting second.

“Speaking of, Sugimara asked Shizuku to the cherry blossom viewing,” Suigetsu pitches in steering the subject. “Bravery.”

Karin cackles.

At the apartment, the loudest sound is the pedestal fan whirring next to the TV. Jūgo retires early having promised Suigetsu he will join him at the docks. Naruto puts the barley tea on the stove and leans against the plastic kitchen table. Sasuke taps the lip of his mug. Naruto looks at him then looks away. Sasuke is bound to the movement.

The war ended. Everyone went home. Life resumed as it learned itself to be.

Sasuke thinks if he was a different person who had lived a different life this might’ve been easier. But he has never wanted to be anyone else, nor does he right at this moment. There is also the growing suspicion that if he weren’t who he is Naruto wouldn’t look at him as he does now.

It makes him quite happy to be looked at like this.

He didn’t even fathom that emotion to belong to him again especially not in the way people echo in parables about it. But as he thought, he’s learning and growing and living.

Which is why he supposes that he gets to experience this too.

Awkward, teetering the lines of friendship and more.

The kettle whistles; singes the air in a grainy scent washed in ginger roots.

Naruto turns the stove to low heat. Grips the counter edge with his fingers looks back at him confidently this round, and asks, “Don’t see other people.”

“Okay,” Sasuke sounds out in the cramped space of the kitchen. The shoji reflects the overhead light. He says, “You too.”

Naruto scratches his cheek reaching to take the top off the kettle, the air further intensifies with the barley smell, “Okay.”

Sasuke sets two teacups next to each other, shoulder lightly bumping into Naruto’s, as the other pours the swooping maple brown liquid into them.

He stirs the sugar in his own cup with the bandaged hand, another limp by his side. Sasuke’s pinky finger crookedly grazes up Naruto’s.

Naruto hooks them together and leans his head on Sasuke’s shoulder.

The pedestal fan is whirring and the tap above the sink leaking. Those are the only sounds.

**

He didn’t intend for it to happen.

But you bare your flesh and bones to someone covered in just as much blood as you and it gets you to think. Calling someone a friend is a weighty proposition, but when Naruto says it to him it sounds out differently, effectively obliterating Sasuke’s parameters of understanding and billows of structure.

Friend. Friend. Friend.

Sasuke didn’t understand so he asked again. And then Naruto spoke in that same fashion of naivety he carries like a medal. Like an honor to brace the world so fearlessly, it softens the barbed cage in which Sasuke lives. He had said so clearly, so _simply_ :

When I see you hurt, I hurt.

How simple to say that Sasuke’s pain wasn’t burdened alone, it was carried by someone else too. How simple to say Sasuke’s not alone even when the world has shut him out in the darkness. How simple to say Sasuke gets to have this because even after everything, the battles fought, the losses incurred, he gets to have _this_.

That’s when he understood. Perhaps saying friend was easier, simpler. But when they weren’t looking it was gradually growing, changing, turning. Inevitably it arrived at the place it was always meant to go.

Now all that was left was for them to catch up to it—bearing their scars and bruises, it wasn’t easy.

However, nothing has ever been impossible when it comes to them.

**

Naruto sits on the carrier instead of the crossbar, Sasuke is parked outside the vet clinic tying a plastic bag to the handle, Tatsuo amiably reminding him, “He should take it once during mealtime and he’ll be fine.”

“Has Chihiro not hassled you to check up on him?”

“No, it seems Moon hasn’t come by in the past few days.” He laughs, gruff in its nature which makes Sasuke think that he’s older. He _is_ , but it’s this that tells him more than his manners. “He’s sworn loyalties to you it seems.”

Naruto says, “Tell her to not take it personally. Animals, especially cats, love Sasuke.”

“A bit of a whisperer,” Tatsuo cheers. He taps the handlebar with his index finger, close to Sasuke’s hand, “Say, speaking of, would you be free for a drink tonight?”

Sasuke places his foot on the pedal, “I’m not.” Tatsuo waves him like the invite was last minute anyway, but Sasuke clarifies, “It’d be best to keep things as they are.”

The man bristles darting back at Naruto and Sasuke can’t tell the face the blonde’s put on, but he knows him, so he knows it scarcely hides emotions. Tatsuo steps back respectfully, “I see. Well, good luck with Moon. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

Sasuke nods.

He cycles towards Mrs. Harada shop, pedaling lazily, as Naruto says, “You’re a bastard. You could’ve at least extended the courtesy of letting him down in private.”

Naruto’s fingers are lightly grasping the thin white-shirt Sasuke’s wearing. Near the hem.

Sasuke scoffs, “Did he extend it to you when he asked me out right in front of you?”

“You know I don’t care about that,” Naruto rubs up his side, a thoughtless inchmeal movement. Sasuke knows if Naruto were to be made aware of where his hand is moving, he’d immediately stop. He’s found that sometimes both of them pull back touches when they verge on the lines of affection.

“But I do,” Sasuke states, the slope is steep, so the descent has the blonde falling into his back. Naruto’s forehead presses gingerly against the middle of his spine. Nudging there, he can hear the smile forming on the man’s mouth, “Alright then. You can care.”

They stop in front of the basket of ginseng set on a milk crate outside the shop. Sasuke gets off the seat and sees Naruto wiping at his brows. He looks up realizing he’s being watched, “What?”

Sasuke fingers itch but he can’t tell what will subside it. He shakes his head, “Nothing.”

They pick up the delivery bags, two for each boy, and get back on the bike. Naruto is back on the crossbar, one hand on the handle, and the other fastened around the bag of onions, cucumbers, ginger, tomatoes. The rest is in the basket at the front of the bicycle.

“We probably should get another bike,” Naruto laughs at their dilemma. Sasuke lets go of the handle to wave his hand before putting it back where it was, “Funny.”

“Do tell if you figure out a way,” Sasuke teases.

Naruto rolls his eyes, knocking his shoulder into Sasuke’s sternum, “You manage fine on days without me.”

Sasuke purposely says next, “You hardly know my woes.”

“What now?”

He tilts his head forward so their ears touch, “I like it this way. If you want another bike buy one for yourself.”

“Oi, I put half the money on this one—” Naruto rattles on, and on, and on.

**

Sasuke’s never known himself to be nervous. The emotion isn’t familiar to him. He understands that it exists, and he has seen it worn by many. But he’s never approached it, nor has it followed him. They exist in an impasse to each other. But lately, he thinks he doesn’t have a full grasp of what it could mean for different people.

A correspondence comes in the shape of a carrier pigeon, emblazoned in the kanji reading fire and sealed in a bold red. Naruto peels open the thing with little fanfare, unappreciative of the crisp edges of the envelope, the trained companion it came with, and reads.

“Oh, they’re getting a new Hokage.”

Karin is hanging the laundry on the lines stretched over the roof of their building. She stops, “What? Tsunade stepped down?”

“That’s what it says,” Naruto squints at the text. It’s written in the proper text so Sasuke wonders if he has trouble reading it, but his worry is useless because Naruto’s face lights up, “Yamato-taichou!”

“Oh,” Sasuke softly says. “That’s unexpected.”

“Right?” Naruto darts up at him. “Could’ve sworn it’d be Kakashi.”

“Wasn’t the man not fond of politics?” Karin recalls.

Naruto waves a hand, dismissive, “He’s good. He’s a good one.”

Sasuke has met the man briefly but can assert to the fact that he _is_ a good man.

“Does this mean you have to leave for the coronation?” Karin asks this so callously she doesn’t see the bubble popping around Sasuke.

He doesn’t have to try too hard to not frown at the imposition. Naruto re-reads the letter and realizes it _is_ in fact an invite, “It’s in August. That’s months away.”

That puts a stamp, an expiration to Naruto’s time with them.

“So, you’ll go?” She asks.

Sasuke sees him decide with no hesitation, “Of course, it’s Yamato-taichou!”

Karin is nervous when she glances at him. Sasuke hates he’s learning to perceive what the emotion could mean in proximity to him and what’s he’s learning he isn’t entirely warmed up to.

“It doesn’t mean he won’t come back,” She placates but she’s a shinobi, as he is, and they can hardly hold back punches much fewer words. “Sasuke, it’s only a visit.”

Sasuke stops what he’s doing which is nailing the floorboard for the single mother who lives two blocks down from them and has a daughter in middle school right now.

Things like school that educate in crafts outside of combat exist at Benisu Island. How frivolous.

Imagine Itachi studying plants, or hearts. Would he have killed their clan then? Their parents?

Sasuke hammers down the nail to secure the plank, “Why are we talking about this when I haven’t said anything?”

“Because you two are adrift in the international waters of feelings and have yet to approach each other outside of deciding that you won’t date other people,” Suigetsu cuts clean similar to the Kubikiribōchō. “But you won’t date each other either.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is,” Jūgo drops the next set of boards, and collects the wasted nails, “You love him, and he loves you. What are you two waiting for?”

If Sasuke had studied animals, and went to middle school instead of the academy would he have put his hand through Naruto’s shoulder?

“Apparently for Naruto to leave,” Karin sounds irritated.

Sasuke’s vexed beyond comparison, he puts down the hammer and glares at the redhead, “This is none of your business.”

“Correction,” Suigetsu tallies handing him a cold-water bottle, “As your friends, it is our duty to put our noses where it doesn’t belong.”

“Last week you went on a verbal rampage about how you should get to eliminate Mist soldiers as it’s your god-given right,” Sasuke feels ridiculous being lectured by Suigetsu of all people. But it seems to be alleviating an invisible burden off his shoulders.

Suigetsu sucks his teeth, “Because it is! Fuck those guys.” Then inputs, “Fuck Konoha _too_ man.”

Sasuke ends up laughing, Jūgo and Karin follow him, and soon after Suigetsu is clutching his stomach to reign in the peals. He squeezes Sasuke’s shoulder, and says, “What is stopping you?”

The Baltic pine feels sturdy underneath his palm. Sasuke feels the smooth surface and communicates in ineffectual pidgin reasonings, “I think we don’t know how to love.”

“Does anyone?” Jūgo honestly asks.

Sasuke can’t think of an answer.

Naruto yells at decibels that should be deemed illegal at this time of night but Sasuke’s ears have long adjusted to the noise like that’s their natural volume and so he stops in his step and waits for the man to catch up to him. He’s holding a pot in his hand. Quite carefully for someone prancing down the dimly lit avenue, they’re crossing.

“How was gardening with Shizuki’s Grandmother?”

Naruto pouts, “Seiji and Shizuki are moving in together.”

“Oh, Karin and Suigetsu will be very pleased to hear that,” Sasuke pointedly stares at the ceramic point that is painted in unnatural waves at the bottom. “Did you do that?”

The blonde seems embarrassed which is new because Naruto scarcely gets embarrassed over his own efforts, “Yeah, it’s not done. But we ran out of time. Shizuki had dinner ready.”

“It looks nice,” Sasuke compliments. He’s never been a liar.

Naruto beams, eyes scrunching, and nose wrinkling. Sasuke’s fingers twitch at his side again. He doesn’t know why they keep doing that. They climb the steps to their apartment door. Sasuke slides the key into the keyhole and twists the knob. They both take off their shoes as the blonde beelines towards the window. Sasuke follows in unhurried paces and halts when he sees the glass jar.

Unlike a few days ago, the bulbs have sprouted full stalks and grown roots. Naruto carefully takes them out and plants them into the soil of the pot he was carrying.

“It grew without the soil?” Sasuke can’t believe it.

Naruto nods, “All it needs was a bit of sunlight and water.” Empties the jar in the sink as he admires his plant. Flourishing in green-white tube-like straws. “Isn’t it cool it can grow even after its unrooted?”

There is a refreshed stubborn hope in Sasuke’s heart. “It is.”

It’s spring, a fine, enormously beautiful day.

Sasuke anchors himself to that very day.

**

“No, you need to have a tight grip around the wheel because otherwise even if you have a strong throw, the shuriken won’t spin in the right direction towards the target,” Sasuke crouches down to the level of the thirteen-year-old, raising his hand and clutching his fingers around the open ring of the blade. “See, that’s better. Now throw.”

He steps back to watch the kid throw as taught; the shuriken hits the target. Akane jumps in excitement at his very first bullseye, “I got it!”

“You did.” Sasuke smiles, another student calling out to him from his left, he nods at them before leaving Akane with a quick, “Keep practicing.”

Chihiro is the youngest of them all, she came to him first and after which a gaggle of curious kids followed. She falls down again. Huffing and puffing against the tree. When Sasuke approaches her, she wipes at her brows and steadfastly shows him his improvement. She makes it halfway to the top before losing momentum and falling backward. Sasuke is swift, light on his feet, as he catches her.

She frowns dejectedly, “I did everything you said and still can’t climb trees.”

Sasuke ducks to her height, “You need to focus your chakra to the sole of your feet.”

“I did, but it doesn’t _stick_.”

She’s eleven and as stubborn as he remembers himself being.

“Because you’re too tense,” he stands up straight and breathes in deeply. “Concentrate only on harnessing chakra. Don’t worry about if it’ll stick or not, that bit is supposed to come naturally. Watch.”

He climbs up the bark of the tall tree. Stands on the branch and calls out, “See?”

“You’re just showing off!” She sticks out her tongue, and Sasuke bites on a laugh. “I am teaching you.”

“Whatever, I’ll wait for Uzumaki-san.”

Sasuke flashes next to her and sighs, “Fine, he’s ten minutes away.”

Surprise colors her baby-faced features, “How do you know? Is that a shinobi thing too?”

Sasuke explains, “Sort of.”

“Oooh, can you teach me? I wanna know where everyone is too.”

From the corner of his eye, he can see that little Ami has perfected her aim. He smiles where it lifts his face, and answers, “No, only I can do that. I can’t teach it to other people.”

“How come?” she pries, swinging her arms at her side, then snaps her fingers, “Oh, is it cause of that?”

Sasuke narrows his eyes knowing what she’s raising her finger to, “Haven’t you been taught it’s rude to point?”

“Who’ll teach me? My folks are,” she makes a squeaky noise. Sasuke humors her wit, “You’re a menace.”

She grins, “Uh-huh. So, is it your eye?”

“Sure,” Sasuke can’t summarize gods and the beginning of chakra and souls in one sentence so he settles for this oversimplified explanation. “It comes in handy.”

“That’s pretty cool. Does it work for everyone?”

“No just Naruto.”

She is thoughtful after hearing that. Sasuke helps another kid with his growing earth affinity, and circles back to Chihiro.

“Is Uzumaki-san the reason why you won’t date Aniki?”

Kids are intuitive. Chihiro isn’t a day over eleven, but she’s quick-witted and adapts to situations easily. She is also able to perceive things adults stubbornly choose to ignore. He exchanges her honesty with his own, “I believe you should talk to your older brother about this.”

“He won’t tell me anything, he was just bummed you didn’t go out with him.”

Sasuke can’t find even a pinch of guilt and that probably is why many people _do_ find him to be a terrible person. He nods, “Yes, he is the reason.”

Chihiro stands there silent for a moment as if turning the idea over in her head, once decided what she wants to do with it, she says, “That’s cool. Uzumaki-san is really good. And strong!”

“He is.”

“Aniki will find someone else.” She grunts, “He should date Tadashi again they only broke up because I was still in primary school.”

Sasuke is half-listening now, he nods when it's required of him and inputs when he deems appropriate. Chihiro cycles through six different topics by the time Naruto arrives. Today his hitate is tied around his arm. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt and has a smudge of dirt on his forehead.

Sasuke is dressed similarly to him, he gathers his belongings and ferries the children in Naruto’s general direction, “Alright, Uzumaki-san will instruct now. Don’t forget the test on Friday.”

The crowd of them boos and whines. Naruto’s temple spasms, “Uzumaki-san?”

Sasuke makes a quick movement of his hand, “As the children say.”

“Weird,” Naruto owlishly watches him leave. Over his shoulder Sasuke can hear him say something to the kids, a bit muffled by their chatter, and run in his direction.

“Sasuke!”

“I’m right here,” he stops. “What happened?”

The dirt still clings to his forehead in a wide stripe. Naruto fiddles with the knot of his hitate, arm spanning across his chest, “Can we eat dinner at that barbeque place on the pier?”

Sasuke’s far too distracted at this point. He steps forward and swipes a thumb on Naruto’s sweat-damp skin. The dirt brushes off with one gentle stroke, he keeps rubbing there though, unable to draw his hand back. Naruto’s own arm falls back to his side and he waits for Sasuke to pull back or—

“Sasuke, are you listening to me?”

Sasuke startles, instantly pulling back his hand. Naruto must see a flurry of emotions flash across his features because he shortens the distance between them, reluctantly at first, but then securely clamps his fingers around Sasuke’s.

“You said,” Sasuke sees their clasped hands and has the insane urge to never let go. That’s not feasible. He’s due to help Suigetsu at the port in an hour or so. “Dinner at the pier?”

Naruto nods, eyes roving to where Sasuke’s looking, “This is weird.”

That drops like a single penny into an empty well. Sasuke can’t stop the laugh shaking out of him, it tickles one out of Naruto as well, “Yea, it’s weird.”

“Good weird?” Naruto sounds…nervy.

Sasuke squeezes reassuringly, “Good weird.”

Akane shouts somewhere behind them, “Uzumaki-san when will we start?”

“Coming!” Naruto goes to pull, but Sasuke is tethered to follow along, bumping toes together, “Are you staying with me?”

 _Yes_. “I should go.”

Naruto worries his bottom lip between his front teeth, it reminds him of rabbits chewing down on carrots, “I won’t say go. You gotta do that bit yourself.”

Sasuke feels like a novice for the very first time in his life, and it’s strangely lovely to realize he’s still got a few things to learn, “It was hard enough the first time.”

Memories of a long time ago, a part of their lives existing so far away that others probably don’t remember it in meticulous detail, but Sasuke does. He could’ve torn his arm with his bare hands that day and it would have hurt less. That’s the intensity of how he felt when he was barely older than Chihiro.

Twenty-two and those feelings have hardly dulled.

Cobalt eyes cloud over reminiscing the same time and reel him in. Sasuke thought love was nothing more than a snare wrung tightly around his chest—collapsing him into his very pyrrhic ending. Naruto breathes to tell him differently, “See you later.” Presses his thumb on the mound of Sasuke’s palm, “That way it’s not a goodbye.”

**

The pier is decorated in lights and streamers and banners and lanterns. It’s always decorated in lights and streamers and banners. Sasuke has known this since they arrived at Benisu Island and the port town of Sagano.

Naruto laughs, clumsy and thick, “She fell into the water twice. _Twice_ , Sasuke. But she still didn’t want to quit.”

Still it all looks so different sitting outside on the bench, elbows on their table, wind sweeping next to them.

“Sounds like you,” Sasuke cuts the meat using scissors. expertly placing it on the grill in front of them, the side dishes cloying the scent of the uncooked meat, “Reminds me of our genin days.”

“Yeah,” lilting softness at the admission, “that seems so long ago now.”

“It was,” he slices the pineapple too and sets them closer to the open grooves to let the charcoal smoke them, “It’s been nine years since we were genin.”

Naruto stares at his drink, the ice is melting at the bottom, the condensation wetting the wooden board of their table.

Sasuke proposes the rueful realization in a new lighting, “We’ve been together for a while now.”

The wording brings color to Naruto’s brown cheeks, “We have.”

“Can I have the biggest piece?” Naruto pokes the gradually browning tender meat.

Sasuke hums, “You can fight me for it.”

“What if I wanna do something else?”

“Something better than a sparring session?”

Naruto flits to stare at a certain part of his face. Sasuke can’t help mirroring accordingly. His own actions intensify Naruto’s blush.

“Kicking your ass, of course!” Naruto recovers.

Sasuke flicks a nub of wrinkled mushroom at Naruto, “Smooth.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Naruto kicks him below the table. Sasuke tangles their legs together. They’re both in shorts because of the spring weather so he can feel the tiny hairs curling on Naruto’s legs over his own.

“Is everything fine?” the waiter interrupts them.

Sasuke takes it in stride leaving Naruto to tend to the grilling, “Fine, thank you.”

Naruto whistles, low and charmed, “What a courteous young man you are Sasuke. How come we never see this side of you?”

“ _We_ ,” Sasuke enunciates, slicing the long strip of cabbage into half. Doling it onto his friend’s plate and biting into the fermented veggie. “Don’t deserve this side to me.”

“I thought I was the exception to that rule?”

Sasuke’s mouth pinches together. A twitch, a bit more. Naruto picks at his food and says, “There was a reason I asked to come out here.”

“Something other than the food?”

Naruto’s unaware, again, when he rubs his foot up Sasuke’s calf. A nervous tick that corroborates itself by touching Sasuke in any capacity. Closeness. Sasuke can tell Naruto’s always wanted it but doesn’t know how to go about it, and it’s funny because he’s at the crossroads of the same dilemma.

A wry smile, a nervous smile, “I feel like…” he stops, breathes, and starts, “Okay, I promise I had a speech when I first got here. But now it’s falling out in clumps and I have no idea how to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Sometimes it feels as if I’m letting time slip away,” Naruto steadfastly meets his eyes, a long time ago he’d met him with similar reverence. The difference between then and now was the gaping wounds pierced in his skin and mimicked in parallel patterns on the other boy. Now they can sit outside a small restaurant recalling days that only exist in a time they can never return to and talk. “I’m here, I’m with you, but I am not _with_ you.”

He ruffles his hair staring at the sizzling meat, the charcoal has a distinct porous smell that cuffs their senses. “Just wondering what I’m waiting for.”

It’s not like he understands it any better than his friend, but they’re here for a reason and if talking it through can help get to where they’re meant to go then that’s what he’ll do.

“Neither do I,” Sasuke squeezes between the slim gaps, stumbling onto the same confession. “But then again it doesn’t have to be something we do alone.”

Gradual, trickling into a pot drop by drop, they’ve come to this point. Reckon it’s going to be slow here on out too.

“No, it doesn’t need to be.” Naruto plates the food for Sasuke before himself, he’s got a plaited thread bracelet encapsulated around his wrist which Sasuke’s seen before—the same pattern, the same nimble method. Strange for a boy who was never accepted by his very home he finds one in every place he goes.

“If this is even half of what love could be,” Sasuke wonders if the buried warble crawls up to his voice, but he doesn’t feel nervous, again, because he doesn’t know _how_. What he does know is that what he is feeling is how Naruto feels, and Naruto’s figuring out all these definitions in his head along with worries that are collateral to those meanings. He doesn’t want him to do it all alone when he’s right here. If not _with_ before, he is now.

“Then I want it. Even if we don’t quite know what, or how to deal with it.”

“You want it?” Naruto’s chopsticks hover as lapping waves between them, “You know it’s the same as me?”

“Don’t I?”

It’s distressingly obvious what he says lands soundly. Sasuke studies the face before him and sees that Naruto’s appearance has feebly changed over the years. Most people lose that soft curve to their face, but his friend remains round-cheeked, wide-eyed. That doesn’t mean there aren’t differences. Accounting the fact, he’s grown into his features. His strong brows, the peak of his lips, his ears don’t dwarf the rest of his head anymore—especially for someone who has a big head, to begin with.

Naruto takes two successive bites, chokes on his food, and thumps his chest in a pleading look of help. Sasuke passes him the water watching the whole scene play out in routine.

“Fine, yeah, you do,” he spits, cut up words. Flushed.

Sasuke pays attention to the food. They eat and talk about other things, circumvent the discussion that needs to be had to make plans about the following week. The days get planned so easily Sasuke’s starting to forget their place on the island is only supposed to be temporary.

They pay for the meal and Naruto’s pointing at a man making animals out of balloons. “We’re too old for this.”

Naruto holds up the green frog in front of his face, “You are, I’m the picture of youth.”

“Alright, Gai-sensei,” Sasuke kids.

It brings a smile to Naruto’s face, knocking shoulders into each other, and taking a long way back home. The streetlights flood the alleys, their shadows act like extensions of their self on the asphalt floors. Sasuke watches his outline overlap Naruto’s, the dark print of his hand melting into Naruto's. The blonde is chattering about the kids they’ve been teaching and how the newest addition to the group, a little boy named Isao is very talented.

There is that itch in his fingers again, but unlike before, this time he knows what to do.

Sasuke threads his hand through Naruto’s. At first the other doesn’t notice, “I am guessing he’s got a fire affinity which means you would be a better teacher than me, neh?”

“Yeah,” time softens around them, in interludes he can see Naruto flit everywhere; Sasuke’s face, Sasuke’s eyes, Sasuke’s hand. Hand in hand. “I’ll teach him.”

Naruto rises to his voice, blinks. The shadows extend into one another, becoming one whole picture instead of two, and despite the twilight sky over their hands, it feels warm like yellow between them.

“Oh,” it wavers, the whisper has the courage to waver, and Naruto smashes into his chest. Forehead buried in Sasuke’s shoulder, body vibrating against his core, and says again, louder, more pronounced, but just as thrilling, “ _Oh_.”

They arrive in paces. Slow, and unhurried like a river of honey.

**

Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.

You can go your whole life wanting something, close enough like caught between your lips, and if it isn’t meant for you, you’ll never have it.

This feels the opposite of that.

Sasuke’s been traveling since he was thirteen and during those travels, he’s learned to ignore the world around him, and then he’s learned to accept the world around him. There are people who speak different languages to his, and then there are those who have got their own spin on the words he’s known since the time he was born.

Shutting his eyes to think about his family, their culture takes a greater effort nowadays. But sometimes he does it sitting on the balcony of the small flat they’re renting, a cup of jasmine tea in hand, and the city laid out in front of him like a map out of paper.

They had a language. His people, his clan. If someone spoke it to him, he could speak it back. But there isn’t anyone else besides himself who understands it nor anyone who can converse in it. Up there, in his head, all these little things he carries inside of himself trying to decide when will it be okay to put them down. All the weight, all the burdens. Whether there will be a time he will be able to.

Naruto is turned on his side sleepily staring at him with those dark blue eyes of his. The color Sasuke’s yet to find again in the world around him. He is starting to suspect that it’s special to this boy only.

“There is still so much we don’t know about each other,” he says too quiet for the walls to hear. They’ve rolled out the futon in the living room. The flat only has one bedroom that Jūgo’s had to himself since the beginning. “I wanna know everything if you’re willing to share.”

Naruto. Naruto. Naruto.

Even if _this_ was buried in the core of the earth they stand on, it is apparent it would’ve still found its way to Sasuke because it was always meant to.

Meant to be his.

Sasuke’s mother had a special word for their father. She rarely used it but when she did Sasuke and Itachi would duck their heads and avert their eyes. It was too tender to face over a casual family meal.

She, also, had a word for Sasuke. She said it with an uplifting smile, and hand on her chest, as if it were possible to see parts of Sasuke he’s yet to discover himself. Then she would draw him close and kiss the crown of his head.

Would her dreams, the possibilities she wrote in prayers, align with who he is now?

Naruto doesn’t know any of this, but he could.

“Itachi wasn’t a good brother,” today this is what he chooses to share. It’s taken a lot of ruminating to come to this conclusion especially for Sasuke who was barraged with a fleet of revelations after killing his only living kin. “But what happened to him wasn’t fair either.”

Naruto listens. He doesn’t interrupt which is a feat because he has an opinion over everything. Sasuke fills the blanks, “I think circumstances make people do terrible things, but the choice is never gone.”

“Do you hate him?”

Sasuke is flat on his back now. “I believe I don’t think about him as much I used to. There are other things on my mind now.”

“I get it,” Naruto is voice is steeped in emotion. He is flat on his back too now. “During the chunnin exams when I went to train with Jiraiya, I had a passing thought. I never dwelled on it because there were other things that mattered then. I remember even then I wanted to tell you but was too stubborn to comprehend my own need to share. To have someone listen.”

“Did it come back?” Sasuke can feel the warmth of Naruto’s hand on his side. He traces down to it to limply rest his thumb on top of his index.

“It did. When he died,” Naruto gives the ceiling a rueful smile, it’s broken in ways Sasuke hasn’t seen in years. “Why did it take so long, for someone who was meant to raise me, to show up?”

“Would it have made a difference?”

Naruto laughs from his throat, it’s watered down. “Probably not. He wasn’t the most attentive man. He’d be a terrible guardian.”

Under Sasuke’s thumb, the undulating pulse on Naruto’s wrist feels like the soft insides of a fig.

“Now something good,” Naruto turns in a way that his leg stretches over Sasuke’s, settles between the gap as his arm is thrown over the raven’s middle. Sasuke looks over at him not expecting the sudden bout of closeness. But the boys’ got determination on his face and a smile in his eyes, “Tell me something good I don’t know.”

“You first,” Sasuke’s chin touches his shoulder.

Naruto’s pretty close so his breath mists over his face, “I was, uh, in Land of Earth a couple of years back and there was this old man whose shed we stayed at.” He props his chin on Sasuke’s shoulder too, “He worked at the sugar cane fields too. And he taught me how to cut the tall jointed stalks. Even taught me how to make the juice out of it. Have you ever had it?”

“I haven’t.”

“Okay, then it’s decided, we are going back to Taneku to have it. I had never been taught something like that before you know? So, I got quite good. We should visit again.”

“Sounds like a date,” Sasuke says.

Naruto’s breath tickles his lips, he is smiling, “It will be.”

“Now your thing!”

Sasuke says, “Ah, Mt. Ashitaka. We went there prior to the summit; it was a short trip, so I only took Jūgo with me.”

He adjusts himself a bit, “You already know that it’s hard to create a contract with any animal, but Goshawks are especially hard to sign with because it’s hard to earn their trust.”

“Really? But Garuda seems to can’t get enough of you.”

“I have that effect.”

Naruto rolls his eyes, blushing. Pinching Sasuke right above the cinch of his sleeping pants.

Sasuke turns too, now. Tangles their legs together and curves an arm around Naruto’s waist. They’re both sorta loosely holding each other.

“I saw him while we were setting camp, there was a Great Horned Owl attacking his nest. He is pretty territorial, and it wasn’t like I wanted this specific hawk at the time. I just saw he was in trouble.”

“You saved him,” the other says in awe.

Sasuke shrugs. “He was the youngest in his nest. And we sealed a contract a little after that.”

“Wow, you really like that hawk.”

“I do. He’s my companion.”

Naruto’s finger winds up his side to his shoulder before they’re catching around the waves in Sasuke’s hair, the whole process is slow and tantalizing. Sasuke can feel the slight dampness near the nape of his neck due to the spring heat. It’s not _hot_ per se, but it’s comfortably warm at the moment.

“Even though you’re the person I feel I know best, there is still so much I don’t,” Naruto says.

“We spent a lot of time apart so it’s natural that there are a lot of gaps to fill,” Sasuke replies.

“Do you think we’ll run out of things?”

Sasuke can’t fathom the idea of knowing an individual entirely. People are constantly growing into the next person they are meant to be, by the time you catch up to them it’s like there is still plenty new to unearth. There is a lot he doesn’t know about Naruto, and there is a lot Naruto doesn’t know about him. However, what he can say with utmost certainty is that regardless of the change that occurs given the swaying currents of time, there is a centripetal force that keeps them together. Wherever they go, they’ll go together.

“I think it doesn’t matter even if we do,” Sasuke says.

Naruto seems satisfied with that.

Within time he’ll tell him about the words, the language, the things he’s lost. That are buried in the distance that Sasuke will have to dig grain by grain.

But Naruto will be here, listening. Sasuke can’t think of another person he’d ever want to share _those_ parts with.

**

“You got it?” Suigetsu hollers over the distance.

Sasuke would give a thumbs up if he could so he resorts to a similar expression.

“You’re really milking that thing now.”

“Don’t ask stupid questions then.”

Suigetsu sticks his tongue out. The seine’s bottom edge is held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. “Okay come closer now,” he instructs.

Sasuke follows through, careful not to lose his grip as they walk towards the shore. The netting has pulled a decent size of schools that have shoaled together. With his recently garnered experience, he’s gotten pretty good at identifying the breed. He can see herring and mackerel flapping inside the grid-like structure. But in between them, there are shrimps, clams, and other catch that they’re going to have to sift through.

There is a huge blue tarp, the scraggly old man who has hired them stands on a podium made out of wooden banana boxes. Goro flicks his hand, “Suigetsu, check on the till would ya, that old bat is going to drive me to an early death.”

His wife yells back in rough vowels, their speech similar, “You’re the one with bad hearing, stupid Goro. I can hear you all the way here!”

“Aye, aye,” Goro pins Sasuke down, appraising the words on the tip of his tongue, decides he wants to say them and advises, “Don’t get married, kid. It’s a lifetime of headache.”

Sasuke clicks his teeth in a noncommittal sound.

They sift through the catch. Separate the fish that can be sold and cast aside the rest. Sasuke manages to save a few critters and releases them back to their marine life. He later mans the register, or the shabby semblance of one, when Goro hikes up to him. Pants pulled comically high to his middle. A thin shirt that has holes in it.

“You hungry? No one makes better-braised mackerel with radish than my Aki.”

Sasuke counts the last of the cash in the till and closes the drawer. Hands the wad to Goro as he follows him out to the dock that’s got a little set up with tables and plastic chairs. Goro licks a few notes and stuffs it back into Sasuke’s hand diving into a tale of his younger days. Apparently one habit of old age is boasting about one’s younger days and the adventures that belonged to them.

“What about you? You’ve been here for a bit, but I can’t recall where you’re from,” Aki says.

Suigetsu bites on his bread, “I don’t have a home. I’ve been always around.” A gesture of his hand.

The two pairs of eyes inquire him. Sasuke wardens the loss of a home he once had and hums, “Same here.”

Goro scoffs.

Aki slaps his arm and fills Sasuke’s plate again, “Eat more, you’ve hardly had anything.”

Later when they’re putting away equipment, dusting the shelves and preparing for the next day, Goro tells him. “I’ve heard of you,” it doesn’t sound threatening, but one flick of Sasuke’s wrist and Goro will be dead, chakra points punctured—if he’d like, but there isn’t any need for that for now. He lifts the box of melting ice and empties it out near the ocean. “Your hair does a piss poor job at hiding that eye.”

He wasn’t trying to hide it.

“Listen,” he pinches the wrinkle between his nose, “Shinobi are trouble. Shinobi like _you_ especially are trouble.”

Sasuke watches the sand swallow the pelts of ice chips. Burrowing the pieces deeply. He is crouching as Goro’s tired gaze meets him, “But Aki likes you so I’m going to like you. That woman is a right pain, but she’s never been wrong about people.”

“That’s why she chose you?”

Goro’s teeth show as his mouth stretches, “You’re funny.” He pats his back, dragging his feet towards the boardwalk, “Finish here and get leftovers before leaving. Naruto loves my wife’s cooking.”

Sasuke slides the container to Naruto over the counter who is taking out the jug of water they keep in the fridge, he’s talking about his day and how he helped pull carrots from some lady’s yard. The name escapes him right now, but Sasuke takes out a plate from the cupboard and sits it in front of his friend.

Tucking away a strand of his hair, he voices, “Fight me.”

Naruto’s ecstatic.

They don’t make a habit out of sparring because oftentimes that comes with a lot of damage to their surroundings, on top of them losing sight of everything except each other.

There are two things that make Sasuke’s blood sing: the way Naruto looks at him at the first blow of their fists, and the way his chakra reacts to the challenge.

They start with headstrong attacks, Naruto picks up on Sasuke’s aptitude to speed except somehow, the raven notices that the other has gotten faster, movements more precise, but. Sasuke simply jabs at the shadow clone’s chakra points for them to come undone—the blonde isn’t the only one training.

“You’ve gotten stronger,” Naruto vaguely comments.

Sasuke dodges the fist coming in his direction, “You’ve gotten faster.” When the last copy puffs into smoke, Naruto whips behind Sasuke to knock the back of his knees and using his dominant hand he pulses chakra into his palm as extra pressure to push the raven face-first into the ground. Not quite ready to eat dirt, Sasuke uses the opportunity to let the purple of his left eye contract, fluttering until he’s flashing behind Naruto holding the base of his skull to push his face into the tree trunk.

“I see you’ve been training.”

Wiggling errantly, the younger of the two carps, “That’s cheating! No special magic eyes!”

“You’re allowed clones, but I’m not allowed to teleport?”

Naruto turns around as Sasuke’s hold loosens, “Obviously, it’s not fair to your opponent Sasuke.”

“I doubt our future enemies are thinking of the fairness of their attacks.”

“You’re right.” Spins a whirlwind of air in his left hand and dashes it into Sasuke’s stomach, sending him flying backward.

Sasuke’s hair tie snaps and his hair falls to the side of his face, he’s slouched against the tree, a twitch dragging the side of his mouth up, he wipes at his bottom lip roughly tasting the drop of blood.

“Done?” Naruto gives a lopsided grin.

Sasuke gets up biting at the seals wrapped around his wrist and pulls, wiry threads snapping out. He doesn’t answer, a puff of smoke summons a kunai at his disposal. Naruto’s eyes narrow watching him, whining, “What are you doing, Sasuke, I’m getting _booreed_.”

Except it’s hardly been a second, and the next few things occur in quick flashes. The cord tying around the circle hilt of the blade and whizzing through the air. Sasuke crackles a stream of Chidori through the wire and Naruto’s eyes widen, flipping backward to dodge it except the kunai spins in the opposite direction, circling the tree behind the blonde boomeranging back to Sasuke.

He catches it in his palm and Naruto opens his mouth. Sasuke pulls.

Now tied to the tree, the blonde struggles, “You bastard.”

Sasuke tugs on the cord to carry himself forward, grinning, “Look at that, didn’t even need special eyes.”

They’re toe to toe now, he uses the tip of his kunai to tilt Naruto’s chin up, “Haven’t you learned that underestimating me can be dangerous?”

“Didn’t underestimate,” Naruto’s genuine smile is heart-melting, “I just haven’t fought anyone worth a challenge lately.”

“Ask me then,” Sasuke proposes, “I’ll fight you.”

“No holding back.”

“Have you ever known me to?” the threads loosen around Naruto’s chest, limply falling to the ground as the kunai disappears from his hand. He replaces the spot under Naruto’s chin with his index and thumb, softly pinching the skin there.

“Never,” Naruto’s left elbow brushing against the inside of Sasuke’s right arm that’s extended.

“Then it’s decided. I’ll entertain your sad efforts.”

“You’re an ass,” Naruto shoves him lightly with a laugh, and Sasuke laughs too. It starts out slow before they both no longer care to quell the peals of laughter; it’s been so long, Sasuke thinks, since he’s laughed like this. Sparred like this. Coming down from that high is an achingly slow descent. And for some reason, it stretches even more, especially when he makes notice of the light flush decorating Naruto’s cheeks. There is warmth emitting between the two and it could be the late spring night.

It could be all else.

Or, maybe, it’s Naruto.

Sasuke’s never woken up and thought of the future past the point of avenging the murder of his clan. And then it was about redemption for the atrocities against his lineage. Never did the future consist of hope for a time that was better. Better was in the past. These are things he told himself at age seven.

It’s a lot to handle at seven.

Now, it’s been years since all that. He’s traveled and met people; he’s made friends outside of those that have chosen him—he’s gone ahead and chosen people too. You don’t get a childhood when you’re a child of war. He knew that from the get-go, but it was with time that he had realized he had to let go of pieces of himself too then.

And now, it seems easier to reconnect back to them.

Naruto says, breathless for someone who barely broken a sweat, “Do you ever think….” It’s quiet. Is he talking to himself?

If they’re going to do this then he can allow himself to defy the intensities that life has curated for him outside the sphere of love and choose to cross it. If it was decided for him love was a lost dream at sea. Then here on out, he’s going to swim towards it. Be greedy, be open.

Because at the other end of the journey he’s got someone waiting, and that someone’s everything Sasuke’s never thought he could tide himself to.

His friend never finishes his thought, but Sasuke answers as if he knows the question, “Yeah.” It’s Naruto, he knows Naruto, so in the same vein of breathlessness, he offers, “I do.”

Ocean blue eyes soften before going half-mast and Sasuke’s own follow their movement as if a red string tugs at him to copy Naruto’s lead. People talk about these things, Sasuke’s always been one to turn the other cheek, not interested, and never bothered. It’s different now.

Naruto’s forehead touches his, and both of their skin is warm. Sasuke doesn’t hesitate, but his chest feels a pronounced thump so that is as good as any sign to tell him this is new—no, it’s old and it’s been growing and now it’s budding. Naruto’s nose touches his.

Sasuke’s breath fans over plush lips. The birthmarks on Naruto’s cheeks are perfectly symmetrical. _Can you feel them when you touch?_

The other man tilts only a little, Sasuke can feel the diminishing distance and the seconds grow between them, stretching until they burgeon a newfound ache that not only rests under the skin of his chest but also simmers in the tips of his fingers and he knows what’s after this then why is this moment taking its time?

(Sasuke’s not one to indulge his secrets but he doesn’t mind the wait, if he’s being honest.)

“You do,” Naruto confirms once more but his breath tickles the sweat perspiring over Sasuke’s top lip. It’s so, so warm where they’re standing.

Before he can repeat, right as Naruto’s eyes begin to close and he’s wading the little distance between the two of them, time decides it’s not on their side.

Jūgo calls to them.

“Sasuke, will you be going to Bōyaku with us?”

Naruto’s breath trembles over his lip, the only sign of them both having a lapse in composure, forehead bumping together, Naruto opens his eyes and mumbles, “Let’s go home.”

Sasuke nudges closer, answering Jūgo, “Yeah, I’ll go.”

**

He actively misses Naruto. The entire time he’s away. He doesn’t realize he’s being impatient, hurrying the trip, until Jūgo asks, “You seem restless.”

Sasuke blinks, cuffing the gang leader they’ve captured, “I am?”

“Yeah, you usually let the rest of us at least participate.” 

Assessing the damage, he might’ve gotten a bit hasty. But the task they were here for is done, and it’s about time they head home. They weren’t given the appropriate information on arrival and the assignment got dragged unnecessarily. If Naruto were here, they’d be done even faster.

Besides he’d assumed he’d release pent up energy since he hasn’t had a good fight in a minute, but this was a bust. No one quite challenges him as Naruto does.

“I’m ready to return.”

Jūgo softly says, “Ah, well. You’ll see Naruto soon.”

Sasuke ignores the implications except he _is_ missing him more than he ever has, and they’ve hardly been apart.

The feeling is a stranger to him, he’s never felt this way before, and it isn’t like he’s equipped with an arsenal of understanding how to curb this emotion. Truthfully, he isn’t keen on doing so either as he enjoys the open want of missing this one person. There is an inkling it’s being reciprocated tenfold.

They arrive midday, Jūgo steps inside the apartment first, Naruto’s at the terrace watering the plantar. The rust-haired man waves two fingers, “Hey, I’m going to be in my room.”

Naruto smiles, it picks up in its intensity as Sasuke approaches him and by the time they’re next to each other in the warm, spring sunlight, Naruto’s positively beaming.

Sasuke kisses him.

Chaste, light press. Once.

Naruto sighs contently against him, hands on his shoulder like he’s anchoring down Sasuke to stay rooted. Doesn’t he know Sasuke has no intention of leaving?

“How was Bōyaku?” he asks.

“Terrible,” Sasuke says. Kisses again. Only lips pressing to lips. “How was here?”

“Terrible.”

They laugh in sync, softer in comparison to the windchime hanging at the threshold of the terrace.

“Did you eat already? I’m going to that—” Sasuke kisses him again. Naruto giggles, “Sasukeeeee.”

“Shut up, Naruto,” he feels a bit out of control, off-balance, as if he’s been accelerating at high speed and lost the pedal of his break. “Don’t you see I’m doing something here?”

“Mauling my face?” He shirks him off, smiling all the way, “Just say: no, Naruto, I’m not hungry. I rather kiss you because I missed you _so_ much.”

Sasuke seriously says, winding arms over Naruto’s shoulders, limply intertwining them, “Hey, I missed you. Lemme kiss you now.”

Naruto’s eyes widen, cheeks turn red, “I didn’t think you’d say it.”

“Why not?”

They’re the same height, but Sasuke’s meager edge lets him see the faint, hardly perceptible, flecks of gold buried in the cobalt eyes.

He once read about geodes that are ordinary at first glance, but if you were to look into the seam, you’ll find crystals called beryl which are pieces of raw emerald. Finding a tiny miracle buried in the seams, this too, feels like treasure.

“I missed you.” Sasuke repeats for good measure, “I didn’t even let Jūgo get his hands dirty.”

Naruto barks into a laugh, “You owe him one.”

“He can go when the next contact calls.”

“And what will you do? I bet you’re all wound up.”

Sasuke’s nerves alight. “Spar with me then.”

“Okay.”

He begins to pull away, Sasuke calls him back, “Later. First I want to kiss.”

“We didn’t even do this before you left!” Naruto’s furious blush is very cute to him.

“Yes, I’ve discovered I want to kiss you and I’ve wasted precious moments not doing so,” Sasuke explains, “I should’ve kissed you that day.”

Which day he forgoes on specifying. There have been plenty of opportunities to kiss the blonde.

Naruto chews on his bottom lip, chews on Sasuke’s heart too, runs a hand through Sasuke’s shorter hair that no longer shrouds his rinnegan, “New?.”

“Mhm,” Sasuke asks. “For you.”

“For me,” Naruto bites his smile, but it still spills in rivers. “Sounds bullshit.”

Sasuke thoughtfully returns, “That’s just you speak for loving it, usuratonkacki.”

Naruto whacks him, “Fuck off!”

**

Sasuke’s toes sink into the sand, the grains wiggling between the gaps, as he peers out at the seine. It’s been almost an hour so they should drag the net in soon.

“How’s it looking?” Naruto is dressed similarly, no shirt, loose pants cuffed up to his calves.

“We can go in soon. Give or take a few more minutes.”

Naruto hands on his hips looks out at the buoys floating in the water, deciding he agrees with Sasuke he turns to face him now. Briefly, he arches his neck to see something behind them, mouth parted, and hair pushed back—the scarf Karin ripped a few days ago so she cut it into neat squares to use as bandanas.

“Who are you looking for?” Sasuke looks over his shoulder, but Naruto’s crowding him.

Kisses his cheek, “You.”

Sasuke turns his head into a sweet kiss, Naruto’s lips languidly gliding from his cheek to his mouth. An emollient pinch of his top lip between Naruto’s fluttering ones. He can smell the ocean drifting towards them as saltwater coalesced in the air. Naruto uses feather-light pressure at first, their lips barely graze each other, draws back and does it again.

Slow movements, ebbing gestures. He meagerly parts his mouth, Sasuke lets his tongue come forward a bit, licking the seam of Naruto’s lips. Almost like a tide, his tongue recedes. Naruto chases after it like the drying shore, starved for the ocean’s affections.

It’s a bit reminiscent of how it feels between them. Of how it’s always felt between them.

“ _Oi_ ,” a gruff voice intercedes their unhurried kissing, “I don’t pay you two for this! Go get the fish, you brats!”

Naruto puffs out a vibrating breath over the crook of his lips, eyes still closed and Sasuke can feel how the other’s fingers flex near his jawline. He kisses him solidly once more. Everything of himself in that kiss. Naruto opens his eyes and parts his lips.

“Come on,” Sasuke tilts his head to the seine. “We’ve got work to do.”

One their way home, Sasuke’s hand is entwined in Naruto’s. The other swinging their dinner for tonight. Sasuke squeezes their hands and Naruto’s pulling through the streets, a long way to their destination. He announces as they pass through the vines of a tree with branches extending over the street into the opposite house, creating a canopy decorated in leaves, and flowers.

“We should get a place.”

“We have a place.”

Naruto’s thumb is kneading the joint between the back of his hand and index, “No, like _our_ place.”

“Our place,” He repeats purposely obtuse.

“Yes,” Naruto signals jostling the plastic bag in his hand, “Doesn’t have to be too big. Two rooms, perhaps three. A small yard so we can spar from time to time, a nice kitchen, after all, we’ve both picked up on cooking—mostly you, but I’ve got a few recipes down. Oh! A garden for my plants.”

“That’s modest,” Sasuke’s lips quirk.

Naruto nods, “Close enough to the ocean so I can take romantic walks. Shizuku says it’s a _must_.”

Deadly serious despite his aching cheeks, he says, “Of course.”

“Our green onion plant will thrive in our new home, Sasuke.”

Sasuke agrees, “It will.” Their shoulders are brushing now, arms on top of each other, “But why the sudden need for a house.”

Naruto scratches his cheek, the plastic bag crinkles creating a harsh sound, “I’ve never really lived in a house. It’s what people do, right? When they grow up and figure it out. They get a house.”

He gets that. Naruto never had the chance at normal. Sasuke had it taken away all too soon.

“But more than that,” he looks at him intently, cobalt putting the sky to shame, “Don’t get me wrong I like Jūgo.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that.”

Naruto cracks up. “But sometimes, I wish it was just us.” He coyly skips around his next words, “There are things…” How he can meet Sasuke’s gaze while speaking of such things in broad daylight is unfathomable to him, “If we were alone.”

Sasuke’s eyes drop to Naruto’s mouth only cause the blonde does the same to him.

“Yeah, I get it.”

Naruto shakes his head, cheeks full and blushing, “Anyway, it’d be cool. Our house. We can hold lessons there. Teach all the kids on the island.”

“Sounds like a dream.”

It’s so pretty the sound his mouth makes, sings to the billowy wind the summer envelops with the departing spring, “Me and you.”

You and me.

**

Somedays the tenderness hurts.

Sasuke’s been scarred at the hands of fire, even lightning, but he’s never thought someone’s touch could leave him burning.

Like right now, freshly showered, sitting on the couch of their quiet, and empty apartment all he can think about is how doing this for Naruto seems a completely new form of trust.

The discolored skin stands tangibly on Naruto’s prosthetic arm. It blends into the warmth of the rest of his body near the joint of his elbow, but it’s still pruned and white. Sasuke wipes it down before gathering the new bandages and gently cupping below Naruto’s elbow to start rolling the tape.

“Kakashi sent a few more details about the upcoming coronation, apparently, they’re holding a meeting of the five nations then too. Like a coming together to celebrate the peace of the past few years,” Naruto says.

“Who’s going to be the advisor?”

“Iruka,” Naruto surprises him, “Yeah, I was surprised too.”

“Does this mean Kakashi’s fully adjusting into retirement?”

“He’s in his late thirties I really hope not,” then laughs, “But knowing him he’s been ready to retire since he was fifteen.”

“Well, he’s seen a lot at fifteen. I think it’s acceptable.”

Naruto’s somber. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“What’s wrong?” he meticulously wraps the bandage down to his wrist, gripping there to see if it feels fine. Naruto nods, his leg is folded so the knee bumps into Sasuke’s crossed ones.

“Nothing,” Naruto says.

Sasuke pinches him. Naruto frowns cutely, “Are you going to be here when I get back?”

He looks up, “What?”

“The rest…I heard Karin.” Naruto scratches his cheek with the good hand, “This is temporary I know that, but like I was hoping you’d wait to leave?”

Sasuke recalls weeks ago that he was sure about an expiration date. He sighs into a smile, scarcely present except in the crinkles of his eyes, and pulls Naruto close. Naruto flops forward, fingers still bare and palm still unwrapped. Sasuke clasps their hands, palm to palm. It doesn’t feel any different than holding Naruto’s other hand.

He kisses him, dotting them on the closed mouth in a gentle urgency. _Understand you stupid man_ , Sasuke is saying.

Naruto gummily says into a pout, “So, yes?”

“Yes,” Sasuke realizes at times it’s important to give clear confirmations.

Naruto relaxes. Lets him finish the rest of his hand. Once he’s done, he collects the rest of the ointment—that he applied prior to the cover to avoid any itching—and gauze to set aside. Flicking back, he notices the long scar spanning the side of Naruto’s chest. That’s where Sakura had cracked it open to physically pump his heart. The only scar on his body.

“It’s gotten lighter,” Sasuke feels the smooth skin singe his fingertips. Naruto twists, arm raised, to inspect, “Yeah, it won’t fully heal though since I got it when Kurama wasn’t with me.”

“Hm.”

Naruto traces the lines across his sternum, “This won’t go either, huh?”

“Probably not,” Sasuke shrugs.

Naruto asks, coming forward, “Can I do something?”

Jūgo’s not home. Neither are Karin and Suigetsu since they are traveling north for a contact. That leaves their night quieter than usual. The pedestal fan whirring in the background, the breeze steady outside the open doors of the balcony.

Sasuke pushes back Naruto’s hair from his forehead. The boy smiles, softer in its demonstration, and kisses the top of Sasuke’s scar. Light, fleeting, he asks, “Is this okay?”

Sasuke, himself, is grazing over Naruto’s fading red mark. He lets go to cup Naruto’s cheek; he’s holding himself upright by bearing the weight on his palm. The blonde turns into the mound of his hand and kisses it too.

It burns.

He seeks comfort in that.

“Sasuke, have I told you…” it trails off. Mouth ghosting on the ridges of his sternum, his back flat on the couch, hand carding through the thick blond hair.

“Told me what?”

It’s like Naruto can’t breathe this close to him. He’s kissing and kissing and kissing.

“This,” his mouth is a pressure on his collarbones, “It’s the same for you, right?”

“It is,” Sasuke pulls him up by the neck, kneads their mouths in lingering kisses.

“Good,” Naruto is on top of him. Hovering between a smile and confessions, “I’m happy.”

Sasuke can say this with certainty, holding Naruto’s weight above him firmly by the hips. “I’m happy too.”

The last of spring averts from them, shy, and stumbling into the welcome arms of summer.

**

Sasuke rings the bell twice, _ding, ding_. A tinny sound reverberating on top of the other loading dock noises. Naruto yells behind himself waving at the captain and climbing off the boat towards Sasuke’s bicycle.

He seats himself on the carrier, feet balancing on the chainstays, “Hiiiii.”

“Hey,” Sasuke angles his head up and Naruto leans down, kisses him on the mouth: wet and full of sound. He brushes his thumbs on Sasuke’s cheeks back and forth, “Were you training?

“Right before here,” Sasuke kisses the inside of his thumb. “How was Konoha?”  
“Konoha was Konoha,” Naruto grins down at him. Nudges him to start pedaling, “I’ll tell you all about it once we’re home. How was here?”

“Here missed you,” Sasuke uses a burst of chakra to help control the balance of the bike. Naruto presses to his chest, winding arms around his middle, and settles in the nook of his neck.

With a squeeze, “Here missed _you_.”

Sasuke smiles.

“Did you take care of my plants?” Naruto squats outside their tiny garden, the green onion has sprouted into wild stalks, and flowers.

“Even I can do this much, Naruto,” Sasuke rolls his eyes, parking the bike near the post and treading towards the back door of the house. “Come on, I prepared lunch.”

“Ooooh,” Naruto trails behind him, but after the first step into the house, he stops. Sasuke looks back inquiring, “What’s wrong?”

Naruto drops his backpack near the kitchen sofa, the back door opens right into the living room and moves in his direction.

Before Naruto left, they got the place for themselves. A tiny beach house. Except it was a ten-minute walk from the ocean and was rooted around trees and shrubbery. Karin, Suigetsu and Jūgo got a smaller place for themselves nearby as well. The whole arrangement was a snowball effect. Once Naruto said it, Sasuke didn’t see any reason for it to not happen.

They had a house, Moon spent more time with them than on the streets now, and the backyard was perfect for lessons.

They had finally grown new roots, no longer adrift.

“Nothing,” Naruto walks into his arm. Kisses him and touches him, and Sasuke’s gotten the luxury to acquaint this intimacy too. He didn’t even think love would give him a chance again.

Sasuke pulls Naruto closer, their hands making a tiny clinking noise when the rings knock together, “Food?”

Naruto pulls back to take off his shirt and slides a warm hand, cooler along the ridge of one finger, under his shirt, “First tell me again how much you missed me.”

Sasuke laughs, it echoes across the corners of their well-loved home, kisses Naruto by threading fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

Steady and smooth, “With pleasure.”

**

**Author's Note:**

> surprise: they're married.
> 
> kudos, and comments are very, very, very, appreciated.


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